Those who have attempted to install a picture, mirror, diploma, towel rack, or other wall-mounted fixture are well aware of the difficulty in locating the hook in the right position on the wall so the picture frame hangs exactly where desired. Typically, the picture frame is positioned on the wall and a location for the hook is approximated by eye, feel, or pure guesswork. But, what looks level during installation frequently appears off-kilter from across the room.
Various devices have been devised to improve the results of fixture installation and simplify the task of hanging an object on a wall. For example, the inventor's own U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,928 to Miller discloses a locating device for attaching a fixture level on a wall. The device includes an elongated body having a rear side. A first trammel is slidably mounted for movement along a longitudinal axis of the elongated body and includes a first marker extending away from a surface of the first trammel that is adjacent the rear side of the body, at an angle approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A second trammel is also slidably mounted for movement along the longitudinal axis of the elongated body and includes a second marker extending from the second trammel in about the same direction as the first marker. A first securing device is attached to the first trammel to secure it in a desired position. A second securing device is attached to the second trammel to secure it in a desired position. A level is mounted to the elongated body and has a predetermined orientation relative to an imaginary line connecting the first marker and the second marker. A side of the elongated body may include graduated markings which can be used as a guide to position the trammels at desired relative locations.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,362 to Miodragovic discloses an article for aligning and establishing fastening points for attachment means, such as nails, pegs and hooks, for the arrangement and hanging of pictures and picture frames, as well as for marking fastening points at either selected horizontal or vertical distances from one another for wall plates and built-in units in building construction. The disclosed alignment article includes at least one bubble level mounted in a frame, with a cursor having a first borehole guided along the frame and lying over a slit designed in the frame and running parallel to the longitudinal edges thereto, and with at least one further borehole situated at one of the ends of the frame. The cursor is constructed for grabbing the frame in a C-shape. A plurality of steps is further provided for an exact guiding on the outerlying longitudinal edges of the frame, which cooperate with correspondingly designed surfaces on an internal contour of the cursor so that the borehole can be accurately located for marking a fastener point at a desirable location on a wall surface.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,983 to Gier discloses a tool for marking a pair of points on a horizontal line. The tool has a standard ruler onto which is slidably attached a first member, a leveling member, and a second member. The first member is used to mark the first point on a wall surface, and the device pivots at the first member. The user then uses the leveling member to determine when the first member is level with the second member. When level status is obtained, the user is able to mark the wall surface at the second member, thereby marking a pair of points on a horizontal line.
Each of the above devices effectively solves the basic problems of ocating attachment points at desired locations, and getting a fixture hung on a wall at a desired (level) orientation. However, in order to establish attachment points at a sufficient spacing to support a range of fixture sizes, each of the above devices is lengthy and thereby somewhat unwieldy. Thus, each of these known devices presents a two-fold problem in marketing and in storage: how to fit one or more of the devices into a limited space alongside numerous other products or devices.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an extensible and collapsible device for establishing two or more attachment points on a wall surface, such that multiple attachment points can be located in a single procedure for attaching a fixture to the wall surface at a desired location and (level) orientation, regardless of relative position between attachment points, without compromising the size, design, or operation of the device. Further, it is desirable that before and after use, the device can be collapsed to a suitable size for storage.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an extensible apparatus for locating attachment points, which improves upon conventional levels currently on the market and that overcomes the problems, drawbacks, and limitations associated with such prior art levels and other devices for locating attachment points on vertical wall surfaces.